Convicted Dera Sacha Sauda Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was granted a 30 day parole by the Haryana government on May 26 and was released from Sunaria Jail in Rohtak. This is the 16th time he has been granted parole or furlough since his conviction in 2017.
Ram Rahim is serving a 20 year prison sentence after being convicted in 2017 for the rape of two women disciples. He has been lodged in Sunaria Jail in Haryana’s Rohtak district since his conviction.
According to officials, Ram Rahim left the jail under police security on Tuesday morning and is expected to remain out of prison until June 24 before returning to custody. During the parole period, he will stay at the Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters in Sirsa.
His latest release comes months after he was granted a similar parole in January. Before that, he was out on a 40 day parole in August 2025, a 21 day furlough in April 2025 and a 30 day parole in January 2025 ahead of the February 5 Delhi assembly polls. With this release, he has now received temporary release from prison 16 times since his conviction, drawing renewed public attention and debate over the frequency of paroles granted to the controversial religious leader.
Sikh organisations, including the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, have previously criticised the repeated grant of parole and furlough to Ram Rahim.
Reports indicate that Ram Rahim has spent more than 400 days outside prison through parole and furlough over the past several years. His repeated releases have often sparked criticism from opposition parties and social organisations, which have questioned the grounds on which such relief is granted.
Earlier this year, the Punjab and Haryana High Court acquitted Ram Rahim in the 2002 murder case of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati. However, he remains in prison in connection with the rape convictions and is also facing other legal proceedings.
